Barbie (Mike Vogel, left) doesn’t take to kindly to people following him, as computer wiz Hunter (Max Elrich) finds out in Monday’s episode of “Under the Dome.” — CBS photo

As we know, life under the dome isn’t all rainbows and butterflies (though there is an abundance of the latter). But, as Barbie learned this week, an existence outside the dome isn’t all its cut out to be either. Let’s look at what happened in “Awakening.”

Hacker and the Hero: Choosing to show a little faith in his father Don, Barbie asks the corporate head honcho to use his connections to drop the Dome’s internet firewall and get a message to Julia that he is alive and not, in fact, a puddle at the bottom of the cave. Joe gets the email and relays the message to a skeptical Julia. But something is up. Thanks to a spritely young hacker named Hunter, Barbie is informed his father added a line to the email, telling Julia to jump though the portal with the egg. With a little sleuthing, Barbie and Hunter confirm the suspicious change and discover, among other things, pictures of Julia on his father’s computer. Arriving just as the spy session ends, Don explains to Barbie that Akiaton Energy was the first to discover how to get a wifi signal into the dome, a secret the company promptly sold to the government. But they kept a backdoor, the key to which rests in the hands of Hunter, who neglected to inform Barbie he works for his father. After sending Julia a mushy romantic riddle about where to meet at the dome wall, Barbie threatens Hunter into getting him to the dome, “where the National Guard shoots trespassers on site.”

Haters Gonna Hate: In a supposedly Barbie-less Chester’s Mill, Big Jim – apparently relegated to random B-storylines these days – happily pens on the sheriff’s star despite Rebecca’s warning that it “has not been kind to those who wear it.” Almost immediately, he is faced with a hate crime – against himself. The perp has disassembled the windmill he helped raise to stop the dust storm and burned a car in front of his car lot’s billboard. After fanning out to interrogate a laundry list of potential Big Jim haters, Junior and Rebecca radio back to his father just as former DJ and current gunshot victim Phil hits Big Jim over the head. Handcuffed to the jail cell, Big Jim doesn’t have wait long for Junior to arrive and break up the party, as the duo disarm and embarrass the DJ once more.

To the Wall: Barbie, meanwhile, heads to the dome’s military perimeter, which he infiltrates thanks to his complex scientist costume: glasses and a briefcase. Past the gate, he barrel rolls under a military truck “Indiana Jones” style and hitches a ride until they reach the dome wall. After disembarking the convoy, which not one person sees him do, Barbie heads to the woods, tripping a silent alarm in the process. Making it to the wall where Julia has been yelling at the unknown dome makers about her troubles for what seems like hours, the lovers are reunited – only now they stand in two different worlds. As the military approaches in the background, Barbie writes on the dome for Julia to stay in the dome because it is not safe outside. As the military pulls him away, Big Jim looks on with the shocked and annoyed grimace of someone who just can’t seem to get a Barbie-sized thorn out of his side.

Door to Somewhere: Elsewhere in Zenith, Pauline tells Sam and a now-coherent Lyle she wants to return to Chester’s Mill and find out how the dome connects to what happened with Melanie 25 years ago. Putting together the prophetic postcards that she painted and mailed to Lyle pre-dome, they realize one hasn’t come true yet: the painting of a red door. One that looks just like the door hidden in the Zenith woods. Could it be a way into the dome?

What did you think of this week’s episode? Is Barbie’s dad in on some nefarious plan? Will Barbie get back in the dome now that he has been arrested, and will Pauline, Lyle and Sam also find a way in? Curious as to how a wounded Phil disassembled a towering windmill all by himself? Me too. Let us know what you thought!

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About This Blog

Hi! My name is Hunter Ingram and I’m the film/TV reporter for StarNews Media. I will be the primary blogger for WilmonFilm, but other staffers, including Community Engagement Editor Jeff Hidek and freelance reporter Brian Tucker, are likely to contribute from time to time.

With this blog, I aim to be Southeastern North Carolina’s go-to source for all things film and TV. Wilmington and its surrounding areas are rich with intriguing projects, from the big-budget blockbusters to the small-scale, high-impact independent films. I will post everything from breaking news to offbeat features that will cover every facet of the entertainment news emerging from the area. So bookmark this page and be on the lookout every day for new posts!

While we may be hard at work reporting on the stories we get, we also want your tips, reactions and ideas. Got a story idea that is itching to be heard? E-mail or call me! Want to say something about a post? Leave a comment.